A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court today upheld the ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of gutka and pan masalas (chewing tobacco varieties) imposed by the Maharashtra government within the state.

The ban notification was issued by the state government in July in the public interest to curb the addiction of tobacco chewing among youth.

Justices R M Lodha and Dilip Bhosale, while dismissing the eight writ petitions filed by Dhariwal Industries (Manick---chand), Pranlala Mangatmal, Venkateshwara Pan Masala and others, held that the state government was empowered to take the decision (to ban gutka and pan masalas) in the public interest.